Speeches
by Music Writes
Summary: The final one shot in my Muggle Magic series. Its graduation day for the Hogwarts class of 1977 and some things still need to be said and done.


June 29, 1977

The grounds of Hogwarts were full of movement. People moving to find seats or friends, papers moving in the light breeze, and of course the tassels on the graduation hats swaying as the graduating class of 1977 stood in the Great Hall by the open doors waiting for the ceremony to start.

As everyone was arranging themselves into the proper starting order a small group of students stood huddled by the door, staring out at the assembled crowd.

"This ones gonna be a doozy." A dark boy said staring out at the blurring faces.

"There's even more then last year. Never thought that'd be possible." A red haired boy said while adjusting his glasses.

"Wonder what Potter's prank will be." A short girl with a heart shaped face said.

"He's making a speech. I think that'll be a sufficient enough of a prank." The red haired boy stated, still adjusting his spectacles.

"Better not do anything extreme, Evans will kill him." The dark boy stated easily, leaning against the door frame.

As the group chuckled they were suddenly called to order by Professor McGonagall as she hustled them into their spots.

A few minutes later she stood in front of the group of students and clapped her hands, looking hassled. "Everyone ready? Got your hats? Tassels on the correct side? Alright wait for the music then go!" she stated looking out at the students with a proud look in her eyes. As the music began and the ceremony started she watched the students walk past her fighting back tears. As a few passed her she remembered how she'd have never thought they would make it this far. Never thought she'd get to see them graduate.

Minerva watched as they passed by her, giving a little nod as they did. As the students kept filing past her she held back her tears. Watching student after student pass by, weather their robes be green, blue, yellow or her own Gryffindor red she still had to fight that flash of pride.

When at last all of the 54 graduates had passed her she cast one last look around the Hall knowing that the castle would seem empty for the next few days even with the other six years here. Closing her eyes briefly she tried to fight off the sadness that every year tried to envelope her and backed out of the room, shutting the doors behind her.

****

The graduating Hogwarts class of '77 was a very excited one. As they filled into the stands set up in the middle of the grounds with their backs to the lake; where even the giant squid was skimming the shores unwilling to miss all of the excitement.

They all sat simultaneously facing all of their family and friends and the castle that had been their home for the last seven years. The stands were a mix of color as they had been sorted through by height but each student was wearing the color robe of their house. As Professor Dumbledore made his way to a podium placed at the foot of the stands two boys in red exchanged sly looks at each other before waving their wands in the same fashion and mumbling words under their breathe.

"Well this is a tremendously sad and happy day all rolled into one." Dumbledore said looking out at the crowd of assembled faces spotting many old students who were no doubt thinking back to their own graduation and Hogwarts days. "Today these young witches and wizards do not just truly enter the wizarding world. They also say goodbye to their friends, teachers, and home." He paused here to look back at the graduates offering them a warm smile before turning back to the crowd.

"It goes without saying that they will be missed and their memories forever cherished. However life goes on and people move foreword. Even in hard times such as these." Many people bowed their heads as an unspoken for moment of silence passed through them all as they thought of fallen comrades and family as the war raged on around them without pause. "However one should not dwell on the unpleasant, especially on a happy day such as this. To the graduates of '77 I offer you these last words, which coincidently enough are from the first speech I told you as first years. I hope you know these words better now: ameliorate, immutable, sagacious, and gratuitous. Remember them, and use them well. Now our Head students have a few words to say. First, Mr. James Potter of Gryffindor House."

There was a loud splattering of applause from both the audience and the graduates as James stood up from his spot in the back row and walked carefully past peoples legs to the aisle to get down to the podium.

When he got there he surveyed the audience somberly before his face split into a wide grin. He placed his hands comfortly on either side of the podium before leaning foreword slightly, completely the picture of ease.

"If I had been told in my first year that I would be leaving here as Head Boy I would have had the person who told me admitted into St. Mungo's in a heartbeat." He paused as a light splatter of polite laughter happened. "These past seven years at Hogwarts have taught me so much. More then I ever imagined that I need to learn. And no, I'm not just talking about magic."

James paused here and looked over to his right were the teachers were all sitting in robes of black, except for the Heads of House in their house colors.

"I can't tell you how many days I spent in detention. In fact I probably still owe days." Another pause for laughter. "Hogwarts is so much more than a school. It's a home where all your best friends live, and some of your not so best friends. But the point is no matter where we go after this, no matter what we do every person in these stands has one thing in common that will never change."

James paused here to take a deep breathe and look over his shoulder at the stands scanning them for certain faces: a mousy looking pale boy, a dark haired boy with laughing eyes, a sandy haired boy with a slight smile on his sickly looking face, a red haired girl, and a boy with slick greasy hair. A somber look passed his face as he took in the faces before him, some cruel some smiling.

"We all come from the same home." He looked back at the crowd with a smile back on his face. "Well I can't believe I'm actually saying this but we did it! We're done! Well until we have to go out and actually get real jobs." He laughed once before taking one hand off the podium and running it through his messy brown hair. "And now your Head Girl has a few words, Miss Lily Evans of Gryffindor House." James stepped back and walked to the aisle as more applause was heard and the red haired girl in the second row stood up and as they passed each other in the aisle they exchanged a small nervous smile.

Lily walked up to the podium looking a fair bit more nervous then James did but nevertheless she offered up a tentative smile.

"Seven years ago I had no idea that all of this," she waved her hand to indicate the grounds, the castle and all the many students and people outside, "even existed. But I can honestly say that the day I received my Hogwarts letter is probably the best day of my life. I'd never imagined a place such as this and when I got here it was so much better then I ever dared hope." Lily paused and took a deep breathe looking out at all the unfamiliar faces before her and felt a blush beginning to grace her features from sharing so much with strangers. Then she glanced over her shoulder at the many familiar faces of all the graduates and felt the blush fade and her confidence soar. If anything else they wanted to hear this. They wanted to know what she had to say. She turned back to the podium and took a deep breathe.

"But it still came as such a shock to me that there was an even worse sense of prejudice here then out in the Muggle world." Her vivid green eyes scanned the ground trying to focus on as many faces as she could. "Here we are in the midst of a terrible war that is completely about Purebloods believing that they are better the Muggleborns. And now we sit here ready to show that we're about to join different sides and all because of the color were wearing. We are all from one school; it makes no difference what House you're from. We are about to go off and join the wizarding world we can't let such a silly thing as House rivalry to effect us like this anymore." She took a deep breathe and turned to fully face the graduates. "We are all from one school. It's about time we looked like it." And as she said this every robe shimmered and changed into a deep purple.

She smiled and turned back to face the podium fully. "Congratulations class of '77. We did it!" And with that the seats erupted into cheers as the graduates stood and moved their tassels to the other side. Then pandemonium issued as they all seized their hats and threw them up into the air, all the colors mixing together before falling to the ground in the same deep purple as the robes.

Graduates started filing out of the stands to go find friends and family and as Lily stood there smiling she was suddenly seized around the waist and hoisted into the air as her capture swung her around in a circle.

"Put me down!" she laughed and as her feet hit the grounds she turned and unwillingly smiled at James Potter, her fellow head and the boy she'd been in love with all year, but far to afraid to tell.

"Nice speech." He said smiling down at her.

"Well I couldn't have down it without yours and Sirius's help." She said smiling wider.

"Naw that was all you. We just waved our wands a bit." James laughed. Then a strange look passed over his face and he shifted from foot to foot suddenly looking uncharacteristically awkward. "Um Lily I-"

But what he was about to say next was suddenly cut off as he was tackled by a dark haired boy in a colossal bear hug.

"We did it James my boy!" the boy cried letting go of James.

James laughed. "Was there ever any doubt Sirius?"

"Plenty." Both Sirius and Lily said at the same time.

Sirius then looked over at Lily and realization passed over his face as he stole a look at James. "Oh uh there's Moony! Be right back James!" he called over his shoulder as he was already quickly walking away.

They both watched him walk away before Lily looked back over at James and smiled. "It's so strange but I think I might actually miss that buffoon."

James fought back the irrational surge of jealousy that passed through him and forced a laugh. "Don't worry he'll probably come and crash your work a few times."

"Well since I'll be working at St. Mungo's I have a feeling I'll see him a lot anyways." Lily laughed.

James laughed too before the somber look quickly passed over his face again. Just when Lily was about to ask him what was wrong he took another step closer to her so that he was less then two inches away. Lily had to lean her head back to see his face as he was over a head taller then her. Strangely the idea to back away never even crossed her mind.

James took a deep breathe looking far more nervous then he did speaking in front of all of the people. "Lily, there's something I've been wanting to do since the day I met you in first year. I've never had the courage to do it but since this might just be my last chance I just…" he paused and looked down at her.

Lily's heart was pounding so hard in her chest she was sure he could hear it and she felt her breathe come a little faster as she fought back a sudden surge of hope.

James reached down and caught a stray strand of her hair tucking it softly behind her ear. She looked up at him with wide emerald eyes as he leaned down slowly. He kept his eyes on hers and she knew that if she gave one small sign that she didn't want this he would move away. So she pushed herself up on her tiptoes and closed the distance between them. As their lips met both their eyes drifted close as she wound her arms around his neck and he placed hers gently on her hips.

And there in the middle of the Hogwarts grounds standing in a sea of fallen purple hats while many Hogwarts students looked on and cheered and Professor Sprout slipped Professor McGonagall two Galleons and a greasy haired boy slipped away into the crowds sadly, James Potter and Lily Evans sealed their fate.


End file.
